Someone Close to Me
by IronAmerica
Summary: Because Miles could have been a better friend. Spoilers for 2x06; fix-it fic.


A new fic, also known as "I refuse to accept that Miles could be such a shit friend".

Un-beta'ed, so quibble away.

- o – o -

Someone Close to Me

"Get off the horse, Bass."

Bass blinks in surprise, looking around for Miles. His friend is standing in front of him, arms crossed. The light is too dim to really see anything, but Bass is pretty sure he knows the expression his friend is wearing. It's the mulish, bitchy face he wears when he's annoyed and about to start throwing things at people. He dismounts and holds the reins loosely, gesturing at his posse to stay mounted.

"What do you want, Miles?" Bass asks, even though he already knows. He knows what Miles is there to do. Some small corner of himself starts crying, relieved that Miles is trying to help him, to stop him from doing something monumentally stupid. Bass doesn't have the heart to crush it.

"Don't do it." Miles clears the distance between them in a few short strides and grips Bass' chin in one large, warm hand. "Please, Bass. Don't do it. For Shelley, and…and your kid."

Bass yanks himself away with a cry, accidentally yanking on the reins. The horse whickers and dances away, eyeballing him with an expression of horsey disgust and annoyance. Bass turns back to his horse and pats her nose in silent apology. When he's done, he turns back to Miles.

"Come on, Bass," Miles says, tone impatient. "Don't do this. It's not worth it."

Bass blinks and stares at Miles incredulously. "But you wanted their stuff!"

Miles shakes his head. "I'll figure something else out. Come back to camp, please." His words are a request, but Bass hears the order. He glowers at Miles and orders the posse back to camp. He'll figure out how to deal with Miles, and then get them back together to go to the camp and get their supplies.

"How did you find out?" Bass asks dully, trailing along after Miles. Miles snorts and Bass can imagine the other man rolling his eyes. Right, it _was_ a stupid question. Never question Miles fucking Matheson, because he knows everything. Bastard.

"A little bird told me." Miles gives a short bark of laughter. "No, actually. That guy, Tom? His son's a little spy in the making."

Bass makes a mental note to give the kid a good kicking later.

Miles hands Bass' horse off to Jeremy, who doesn't look too thrilled about being up at such a late hour. Then he puts a brotherly arm around Bass' shoulder and forces him back to his tent—well, not forces, Bass corrects himself mentally, more of a gentle suggestion than anything else. Bass feels safe, for whatever reason; and, somehow, it reminds him of the night Miles had…found him…the graveyard. Oh. No.

He bit back a sob as Miles helped him down onto the bedroll and began pulling his boots off. This was almost like that, minus the alcohol and the guns. As soon as his boots were off, Miles had a hand on his chest, pressing him back to lay down. Bass stiffened for a few seconds, then relaxed as he felt Miles' arms close around him.

"It's okay if you want to cry," Miles whispers in his ear. His breath is hot and moist and it's just enough that it anchors Bass in reality. That this isn't the graveyard, and it's not the backseat of the Challenger and Miles is holding him to keep him going for the gun or the booze again. It's…it's the same, but he feels safer. Bass wiggles around until he's facing Miles and nuzzles at his friend's jaw, burrowing his face into the crook of his neck.

Miles tangles his fingers in his hair and begins massaging his scalp with the tips of his fingers. Bass remembers another time Miles had done this for him—when they were kids, and Bass had broken both of his legs doing something incredibly stupid. Miles had snuck into his room via the old drainpipe and had crawled into bed next to him. Bass snuffled back a few more tears, not wanting to get Miles' shirt damp. Once he started crying, it wouldn't stop, he knew.

Miles' other hand migrates to the short hairs at the back of his neck and Bass feels himself relax. He mutters something between a sob and a curse into Miles' neck.

A few seconds later, he's sobbing and he can't figure out how to stop because everything just _hurts_. It hurts and he hurts and he can't make it stop because he's lost his family again and if Miles hadn't found him… It hurts.

Bass sobs and hiccups as Miles tightens the hug, realizing that he said the last part out loud.

Miles holds him for the rest of the night, letting him sob himself to sleep.

He's still there in the morning.

- o – o -

So, what did you think? Good? Bad? Agree that this should have been the alternate scene for that episode? Drop a line and let me know.


End file.
